Jessie Buckley makes Oscar history as first Irish Best Actress winner

Jessie Buckley Makes Oscar History as First Irish Best Actress Winner

Jessie Buckley won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night, becoming the first Irish actress ever to claim the prize for her portrayal of Agnes, the wife of William Shakespeare, in Chloé Zhao’s period drama Hamnet. The win capped a historic clean sweep of the major awards season precursors, including the Golden Globes, BAFTAs, Critics’ Choice, and Actor Awards.townandcountrymag

Buckley, 36, beat fellow nominees Rose Byrne for If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Kate Hudson for Song Sung Blue, Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value, and Emma Stone for Bugonia. The ceremony, hosted by Conan O’Brien at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, saw One Battle After Another take Best Picture.people

“Ireland Bought Them Flights”

In a tearful and exuberant acceptance speech, the Killarney-born actress thanked her fellow nominees and revealed how her family made it to Hollywood. “My Irish family, they’re all here — Ireland bought them flights!” she exclaimed from the stage. She thanked her parents, telling them, “Thank you for teaching us to dream and to never be defined by expectation, but to carve from your own passion”.youtube

Buckley also addressed her husband Fred, declaring, “I love you, man. You’re the most incredible dad. You’re my best friend, and I want to have 20,000 more babies with you,” before mentioning their eight-month-old daughter Isla, who she said “has absolutely no idea what’s going on and is probably dreaming of milk”.people

A Dedication to Mothers

She closed by honoring her director Zhao and novelist Maggie O’Farrell, whose bestselling book was the basis for the film, produced by Steven Spielberg. Noting that it was Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom, she dedicated the award “to the beautiful chaos of a mother’s heart,” adding, “We all come from a lineage of women who continue to create against all odds”.elle

Hamnet follows the grief that Agnes and her husband, played by Paul Mescal, endure after the death of their young son from the plague. Before Sunday, the only Irish-born actress to win an acting Oscar was Brenda Fricker, who took Best Supporting Actress for My Left Foot in 1989. Buckley’s own first Oscar nomination came in 2022 for Best Supporting Actress in The Lost Daughter.nytimes

Ireland’s Cinematic Moment

Buckley’s victory is part of a broader wave of Irish success at the Academy Awards. Since 2013, Ireland — with a population of roughly 5.5 million — has garnered more acting Oscar nominations than in the preceding 84 ceremonies combined, a run that includes Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal, and Cillian Murphy, who became the first Irish-born Best Actor winner in 2024. Screen Ireland, the national film board, has been credited with nurturing the talent pipeline through training programs and tax incentives.the-independent

“I’ve seen the movie several times and each time I just sit there in awe of the work and then I have to pinch myself and say, ‘That’s my little girl up there,'” Buckley’s mother, Marina Cassidy, told RTÉ Radio 1 earlier this year.townandcountrymag